The Isenberg MS in Accounting

About the program.

With an MS in Accounting from Isenberg, you’ll gain the knowledge and skills to break away from the competition. Working with internationally recognized faculty in accounting and auditing, you will learn to apply real-world solutions and practices through a progressive curriculum, online or on-campus classes, and hands-on problem solving.

Isenberg’s MS in Accounting degree equips you for all aspects of accounting and auditing, including tax implications, financial valuation, ethical standards, changing technologies, and professional speaking and writing.

All classes are offered 100% online, or you can choose to take some classes on the UMass Amherst campus. Classes are offered on campus in the fall and spring semesters. Our online format allows you to take classes from any place at any time since classes are asynchronous. This means that you can complete your assignments at a time that works for you. The MS in Accounting also prepares you to sit for the Certified Public Accounting (CPA) exam while fulfilling your 150-hour education requirement for CPA licensure in Massachusetts.

Isenberg was the only school of its kind offering an Accounting Transitions Track for students who earned their bachelor’s degree in another field. This program helped me switch from a career in health sciences to accounting.

SYLVIA WU, MSA ’18 ASSURANCE ASSOCIATE, PWC

The Isenberg MS in Accounting offers two tracks to meet you where you are and better serve your career goals.

PROFESSIONAL TRACK

If you have already earned an undergraduate degree in accounting, the 30-credit Professional Track will enable you to fulfill the educational requirements to become CPA licensed in Massachusetts and get a head start in the competitive job market. You’ll advance your accounting knowledge, enhance your understanding of the tax implications behind business decisions, gain expertise in financial valuation, and explore ethical standards. Many students complete the program in just two semesters, but students can finish their degrees on their own schedules and timeframes.

TRANSITIONS TRACK

Are you contemplating a change of career? Perhaps you have an undergraduate degree in math or social sciences, and you want to shift gears into the world of accounting and auditing. The 33- to 45-credit Transitions Track, offered 100 percent online, is designed for students with non-accounting degrees who want to enter the accounting or auditing fields. In this program, which can be completed in as few as four semesters, you will complete the accounting foundation classes that will prepare you for more advanced coursework. The knowledge you gain in the program will be applicable to the CPA exam.

Why it’s a good choice

Globalization and an increasingly complex tax, regulatory, and lending environment are boosting the demand for accountants and auditors. Plus, at every stage of their career, CPAs earn 10 to 15 percent more than their peers without certification, according to the Association of International Certified Public Accountants (2019).